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Feb 28, 2015

3D Print Tips YT channel posted a video on how to use PVC pipe cleaner that is commercially available to vapor smooth PLA. The cleaner fluid is probably rich with THF (tetrahydrofuran) so it has a similar effect as acetone on ABS plastic. Do keep in mind that this method is probably less effective than using dichloromethane and chloroform.

The procedure is simple, the object is suspended above the heated THF rich fluid and the vapors dissolve surface layers and make them smooth.

Do keep in mind that the fumes are toxic and there is a fire hazard! Heating THF causes unstable explosive peroxide compounds that are carcinogenic.

Here is the PLA part after the process. You can see that the surface is polished and shiny looking. LAyers are almost not visible.

Here is video showing the setup with few simple supplies like copper wire, mason jar and heater:

Christopher Barr wanted to make a 20 minute post SLA printing cleaning process of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) bath shorter so he made this simple DIY vibration cleaning bath that decreases the time by tenfold and makes it into two minute process.

In the core of the machine that produces vibrations is a common hand sander (in this case Makita) that is fixated by putting it in expanding urethane foam mold. The base and the top container are made from two simple loaf pans (hence: the Loafinator).

3d Hubs 3d printing service launched the Talk community hub where makers can share all projects, ideas, questions and events related to 3d printing.
As the technology grows rapidly with much more people joining in, there is always a need for more communication and exchange.
I feel this will be much used platform.

Nice and fun short animated film about future of 3d printing technology ... may not be accurate but I like the effort and style ...

Elderly are always assumed to be out of touch with "modern" technology. But is it or will it always be the case? Most modern kids only know how to use their smartphone where even the battery is not user replaceable. I can still repair my desktop computer and notebook.

Feb 26, 2015

SmartCore is a new 3d printer developed by SmartFriendz who gave us SmartRap. It should be VERY affordable, cheap and easy to make since the frame is a simple wooden box made from any available wood sheet.

The design elements like motor size, rod size, print volume and wall thickens are customizable and the design files can be recalculated. Since I'm a huge fan of wooden frame 3d printers I really like this design and will follow the project closely!

The project is still in development and could have some small disadvantages like slightly higher noise level since the box is an acoustic resonator.

William published his build on Instructables. It is a easy Lego Mindstroms based 3d printer controlled by Lego Ev3 control brick and using hot glue gun to print simple rough 3d shapes. The main advantage of this design is a detailed build guide which is easy to follow.

Feb 24, 2015

Flex3Drive is innovative extruder system made by Mutley3D from Uk and developed by the CEO Jason Perkes.

Flex3rive print results

Flex3Drive schematics showing the flexible drive shaft and motor

Flex3Drive is a complete end to end, flexible driveshaft based extruder system offering several key advantages over other systems, including:

a lighter X carriage

faster print and travel speeds

reduced retraction distances

increased retract speeds

The extruder motor is mounted remotely from the extruder itself and attached to the frame or x ends of a printer allowing the extruder to move faster with less vibrations. Flex3DriveTM is also fully compatible with Delta type machines.

Laser metal deposition (LMD) is DMLS process that is the future of aerospace industry. Since European Union is a manufacturing powerhouse it is investing in many R&D projects like Merlin.
Ever major technological power is in the race to rule the industry and advance in digital manufacturing age.

From project description:

A 5 axis laser metal deposition manufacturing method is being developed by TWI for an EU-funded project which is demonstrating drastic time reduction in the manufacture of aero engine casings.

In LMD, a weld track is formed using metal powder as a filler material which is fed through a coaxial nozzle, to a melt pool created by a focused high-power laser beam.

By traversing both the nozzle and laser, a new material layer develops with precise accuracy and user-defined properties. The application of multi-layering techniques allows 3D structures to be created.

Technically it is "worlds first fully functional 3d printed dishwasher" but I see it more as a example of 3d design skills since it takes some knowledge to put all those gears and water powered turbine to work together.

Now, it's a nice design and idea, but it looks like it uses a LOT of water since it needs a strong stream to power it. You would probably save some money by using your hands or standard washing machine.

Feb 21, 2015

As I am getting more interested in CNCing wood I'll post more about various DIY CNC projects.

My retired father is now a beekeeper so I found Open Source Beehives. Since they don't have LR type of beehives we gave up on the idea of making them or buying a large CNC mill (we would need to do some saving on family level to afford it). Also it keeps my father occupied as he makes the beehives himself by hand from old wood pallets.

Now that team released AKER DIY plant beds you can produce with your CNC from a single sheet of 1200 x 2400 plywood sheet.

Here is the video presentation of the project:

It's an interesting idea and my wife is nagging me for ages that we should start to use some sort of raised beds in our large garden, so maybe I should start to save up to finally buy parts to make my own CNC.

On AKER homepage you will find plans and CNC files for this raised bed and other things like: worm hotel composter, GroWall wall planter, EcoHive top bar hive and EggHouse chicken coop. All files are open source and you can make it yourself if you own a CNC or get them done by someone else.

Here is a Make: interview with Josh Smith, owner of Makergeeks.com about how 3d printing filament is produced on more industrial level for mass markets.
The most interesting thing about it is explanation of complexity of the technology used and need for exact temperature control in several steps.
Also the fact that the final diameter of the filament is not produced by different exit nozzle diameter but all filaments are pulled trough the same nozzle and the diameter is achieved by applying different temperature.

Raspberry Pi 2 is out! It is much more powerful for the same price of a previous model (35 USD). The tests show that it's up to six times faster as the old version. There will be some nice and fast 3d printing projects running on this one!

Technical specifications:

900MHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 CPU

1GB RAM

Like the (Pi 1) Model B+, it also has:

4 USB ports

40 GPIO pins

Full HDMI port

Ethernet port

Combined 3.5mm audio jack and composite video

Camera interface (CSI)

Display interface (DSI)

Micro SD card slot

VideoCore IV 3D graphics core

OS: full range of ARM GNU Linux distributions, including Snappy Ubuntu Core, as well as Microsoft Windows 10

3d printed fashion is really emerging as one cool new area for artistic expression. I recently found this two nice works of arts (and 3d printing crafts). One is more industrial-art and second is more of a DIY-fashion project.

First piece is a fully 3d printed Red Corset designed by German artist Lilah LaValle in collaboration with her boyfriend Daniel Sirkett and it is printed by Shapeways in SLS Nylon. Since it is a larger and more complex piece the high-end SLS process was required sou you probably will not print this soon in your home.

Feb 12, 2015

After the great success Airwolf had with their Wolfbite ABS adhesive, now they present Wolfbite Nano adhesive solution for PLA filaments. It will help the object stick to the print surface and prevent warping and similar problems.

From the Wolfbite Nano page:

WolfBite Nano is applied with an applicator brush straight onto glass, eliminating the need for tape. One light coat of Wolfbite can be used for several prints. After applying Wolfbite Nano directly on glass, printing can commence immediately, either with a heated or room-temperature bed.

Airwolf 3D specially formulated the proprietary solution to not only promote excellent adhesion but also to make part removal easy. Parts maybe removed post print by immersing the glass plate in water for a short period of time, if necessary.

“As manufacturers of 3D printers that are capable of printing large parts in PLA, we are aware of the frustrations with painter’s tape and adhesion,” said Wolf “After months of research and development, we are pleased to offer a solution that will benefit nearly all desktop 3D printer users. Wolfbite NANO™ was developed at Airwolf 3D through collaboration with Professor Miodrag “Mickey” Micic, Ph.D., who is a department chairman at Cerritos College in Norwalk, Calif., and a well known polymer chemist.

“This is a new, environmentally friendly solution for resolving the acute problem of PLA- based 3D printing, part adhesion and warpage. The solution is based on a combination of green chemistry and nanotechnology to create the best possible adhesion using compounds which are generally regarded as safe,” said Micic.

Wolfbite is packaged in a two fluid ounce container and comes with a foam brush applicator. It is currently available for sale on the Airwolf website at an introductory price of $19.99.

Matt Defenthaler had an old junked Netgear router and he remembered that it could run OctoPrint since it is based on Python. Most modern routers are actually quite capable small computers that can be upgraded by various open source firmwares to do many things.
Matt made it work and documented the process.

Matt used the following setup:

Device: Netgear WNDR3700v1 (it is probably possible to use most OpenWRT compatibele routers but check it)

I participate in project called "Open Network" aka "OtvorenaMreza" where we deploy local mash networks open to public and we mostly use cheap and discarded routers running. The mashing software runs on OpenWRT and some members use them to run sensors, cameras and other interesting stuff, Now there is a new thing we could implement.
Kudos Matt!

Feb 11, 2015

Simone Fontana and Ricardo Salomao repaired a broken refrigerator doors with 3d printed hinges. Another success story for owning your own universal home fabricator :-) The replacement part was printed on Ultimaker 2.

It would be interesting to see how many openings can the plastic hinge survive. Probably not so many (I might be wrong since it is only turning the door on the axial pivot).

Like someone pointed out in the comments, the full metal replacement hinge can be bought for some 10 USD, but it can be argued that in the future 3d printing materials will improve and then the whole replacement parts industry and economics will drastically change.

A hobbyist also gains knowledge and independance by repairing his own stuff.

Also do keep in mind that there are many plastic parts that cost a lot and are not under heavy stress.

Feb 8, 2015

While six axis 3d printer is nothing new, they are quit rare. There have been even robotic arms hacked to print in all axis even with metal like MX3D Metal. Still I find this robot to be more aesthetic and organic in operation.
This machine prints self supporting floating structures inspired by spider webs in same ABS like most common DIY 3d printers and it is even Arduino controlled. It is based on KUKA industrial robotic arm and it is developed inside "Digital Future" project.

The project, Robotic 6-Axis 3D Printing, is a highly-integrated installation combining robotic system, 3D printing technique and interactive interface. It aims to provide the designer a digital method to eliminate the line between "Designing" and "Fabricating". In this case, architects provides more than just drawings and construction notes, however, they are capable of fabricating their work quickly and precisely by themselves

Most of today's researches and applications of robotic fabrication are limited to replicating human labor and raising efficiency of manufacturing. However, in the project of Robotic 6-Axis 3D Printing, we developed a fabrication strategy learning and emulating the law of nature (referring to Chinese philosophy "师法自然 ").

By studying the material and structure performance of 3D form in nature, we figured out a way to incorporate biomimetic fabrication strategy into 3D printing process. And by designing the special robotic-end effector (Tooling) and utilizing the great flexibility and accuracy of KUKA robot system, the biomimetic fabricating process has been fully realized.

The whole process embodied the concept of "Digital Craftsmanship", which emphasis the personality of designer and allows them to closely integrated "Designing" and "Fabricating".

Feb 7, 2015

Steve Graber presents great way to insert metal parts (in his case metal nut-serts) into 3d printed ABS object (it would work with PLA and other probably).
He uses hot end mounted on a drill press which heats the metal part which is then melted in the 3d printed part by pressing it downwards.
The parts looks almost like commercially produced. The fused metal inserts are probably very strongly bonded into plastic around them.
So Steve hacked and merged a hot end and a drill press to create a new tool!

Here is a new free video webinar by Tyler Reid of GoEngineer on 3d printing in medical industry.
It is a great overview of current state of affairs in materials (types, certifications, features and sterilization), prototyping, fixtures, tooling, teaching aids, and production parts.
Well worth half an hour watching if you work in medical industry.

Full Preview - Preview and interact with 3D models prior to printing. Use the layer-by-layer preview to see exactly how your print will turn out.

Customizable Settings - Create and customize your own, or use built-in presets for material and quality settings to make switching filaments simple and convenient. No more failed prints because you forgot to change a setting.

Design Plugins - Get add-ons to make simple parts right on your printer.

Dual Extrusion / Multi-Material - Assigning different materials is a snap so you can take full advantage of any multi-extruder equipped 3D printer.

Advanced Features - MatterControl Touch puts the full capability of 3D printing into the hands of power users. So if you want to adjust eeprom settings, create custom macros, or send terminal commands directly to your machine - you can.

Is this machine worth your money? Well it depends. If you are able to use open source software and a cheap Android tablet, maybe you can get the most of functionality (but not all) for no cost. You could also use paid Android software like gCodePrintr to get some extra functionality.
You decide! Independent test and reviews are not yet available. We will se what will be user experiences in the future.

Feb 6, 2015

Bonsai Lab from Japan presented a new "BS Toy" 3d printer aimed at children and schools. It features ability to print with low temperature filemant material which melts at around 80C so that extruder should be "safe" for kids if they touch it.

The LT 80 filament is a flexible thermoplastic made by Polymakr LLC and it is designed to be from FDA approved materials to make it children safe. It is only colorless at the moment but it should be available in more colors.

Personally, I find this obsession with "safety" to be exaggerated. If school children can not be trusted not to touch heated element when warned about it, we have a much bigger problem then a burn they will get. But I grew up in a different time in a different culture. As far as I understand liability laws and school administrator would want some similar "safe" technology.

John Davis made this beautiful steampunk themed 3d printer based on Printrbot Go. I'm a huge fan of wood frame 3d printers and this is work of a true craftsman.
It has some nice finishing touches like brass and bronze inlays, mechanical switches, functional gauges and suitcase form factor.
Kudos John!

Kai Parthy, well known filament material developer, has a new product named MOLDLAY which is a thermoplastic filament with properties similar to wax. It can be used for two casting techniques: lost mold (lost wax casting) or permanent mold casting.Lost PLA casting is well known method and you can use microwave oven lost PLA casting, but MOLDLAY can be melted in a common baking oven due to its low melting point and wax like properties.

Here are the key features and technical data:

superior dimensional stability

tiff, rigid at room temperature

near zero warp

printable without heated bed

print at 170 – 180° C,

heated bed max. 40°C,

melting temperature ~ 270°C

the molten wax flows freely out the mold, similar to liquid paraffin

price: unknown

contact for dealers: kp@cc-products.de

Here is a video showing the entire process of lost wax casting with MOLDLAY:

Feb 5, 2015

Dutch colorFabb just released their new carbon fiber 3d printing filament that gives new properties and deep matte black finish.

The print quality looks great but there are no independent tests or reviews

Here are the main features of XT-CF20 and technical specifications:

ColorFabb XT CF20 is a copolyester based carbon fiber composite material that is based on the unique Amphora 3D polymer from Eastman Chemical and is loaded with no less than 20% specially sourced carbon fibers suitable for 3D Printing.

Adafruit released a guide on how to effectively polish copperFill and bronzeFill filament 3d printed objects and get them to high shine. They use some simple machines and it the results look easy to reproduce. After the process the objects look like they were casted in full metal.
The main part of the polishing is tumbling the prints in a container with brass screws

In RepRap facebook group I saw very interesting news. In Austria they opened first 3d printing classroom in a polytechnic school in Vorchdorf. The teaching cabinet looks great and has 8 3d printers. Project was made possible by cooperation of government, school, RepRap Austria and Otelo.

My first thought was: WHY DON'T WE HAVE IT HERE IN CROATIA?!?!?!?

Austria is country we look up to and hopefully someone will create a similar project. I'm pessimistic since IT is still being thought with floppy disks.We are sooooo faaaar behind with everything ...

You go Vorchdorf! For The Win!

How is your school system doing? Is your country implementing any 3d printing educational program for the kids?

FormLabs has some resolutions for 2015 and they have made a fully 3d printable speaker project made from resins with different properties. Key resin property for the speaker is flexibility. Improved resolution and optimized support systems help also.

I was approached by Melanie Kern to help her out with her survey for her master thesis. It deals with Open Source Hardware and 3d printing.

If you have spare 10 minutes go and help someone doing valuable research! Remember people: sharing is caring!

Dear Survey Participant,

Open Source Hardware (OSH) development is a fascinating phenomenon that recently gained momentum. Given the potential of 3D printing and OSH to disrupt entire industries and revolutionize the way we design, produce, recycle, manufacture, distribute and commercialize physical products in the future, this is worth in-depth inquiry. To begin with, this survey, conducted at the Universities of Hamburg and Osnabrück, Germany, shall provide insight about 3D printing communities and their motivations and drivers.

It shall also give developers the possibility to provide feedback on community services and to name key features that would help to improve their favorite platforms. The anonymous and aggregated data will be used for research at the Chair of Management and Digital Markets and be provided to platform managers.

The survey will only take about 10 minutes. Your contribution is crucial to the project and is very much appreciated. Many thanks.